Central American Pygmy-Owl

Central American Pygmy-Owl

Glaucidium griseiceps

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability Insufficient data
at Tikal National Park
4 Verified sightings at Tikal National Park From 2019 to 2026
412 Verified sightings across all 15 parks From 2019 to 2026
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Central American Pygmy-Owl

The Central American pygmy owl (Glaucidium griseiceps) is a species of owl in the family Strigidae. It is found in Belize, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama. The International Ornithological Committee (IOC) treats the Central American pygmy owl as monotypic. However, the Clements taxonomy and Handbook of the Birds of the World recognize three subspecies, the nominate Glaucidium griseiceps, G. g. occultum, and G. g. rarum.

The Central American pygmy owl is 13 to 18 cm (5.1 to 7.1 in) long. Males weigh 50.6 to 58.8 g (1.78 to 2.07 oz) and females about 56 g (2.0 oz). Adults' crown and nape are grayish brown; the crown has buff to whitish spots and the nape dark "false eyes". Their upperparts and tail are rich brown and the tail has pale bars across it. Their underparts are whitish with reddish brown streaks. The juvenile's crown and nape are gray; the crown is unspotted and the nape's false eyes are sooty.

The Central American pygmy owl is found from Veracruz, Oaxaca, and Chiapas in southern Mexico through Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Panama into... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.

where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is)  ·  parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve 🇲🇽 Mexico
~10%
2 Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
3 Darién National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
4 Pico Bonito National Park 🇭🇳 Honduras
<5%
5 Braulio Carrillo National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
6 Tenorio Volcano National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
7 Tortuguero National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
<5%
8 La Amistad International Park (Panama) 🇵🇦 Panama
<5%
9 Cahuita National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
10 Rincón de la Vieja National Park 🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Insufficient data
11 Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary 🇧🇿 Belize
Insufficient data
12 Tikal National Park 🇬🇹 Guatemala
Insufficient data
13 Chagres National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
14 Bastimentos Island National Marine Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
15 Soberanía National Park 🇵🇦 Panama
Insufficient data
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